RAIN,RAIN,RAIN.

With the mid summer just passed there is still no sign of any settled weather, and with all the rain, what passes for normal gardening is out of the question. The glass frames that I had covering my potted plants all winter, and which had been removed in March, had to be replaced in a hurry because of all the wet weather. Some of the plants were starting to rot in the pots and the plants that had been put out on the patio for the summer were quickly returned to the greenhouse.

The summer flowering South African bulbs that usually enjoy a spell outside at this time of the year will have to forgo their summer holiday in the open this year or they will be drowned.

Tritonias that were outside all winter and starting to flower just rotted off at soil level and I was lucky to rescue enough for stock plants.

Weeds are growing everywhere and it is impossible to keep them under control or even get enough dry weather to pull them out, and the hedges are growing so fast that the require cutting every two or three weeks, not one of my favourite tasks.

The Camellias have put on eighteen inches of growth already and with the Azaleas and Rhododendrons looking so happy they must think that they are back in their native habitat. The clematis that is growing through the Camellias has gone on a rampage as have those planted on the wooden fence at the side of the house. I hope they produce flowers on all the new growth, but will they ever get enough sunshine to open them?

On the up side, I don't have any watering to do and I can still plant out alpines in the scree bed without worrying about them being desiccated with hot sunshine. The scree bed is looking very lush as everything is growing well with the ample supply of moisture that they don't usually get at this time of the year.

The Hostas are growing like cabbages and the slugs are having a field day with all the luscious new growth and the travelling made easy on the wet soil. The seed harvest has been dismal so far with most of the early flowering plants not setting any seed at all. Even the Lewisias that usually set copious amounts have done nothing this year, and that goes for the plants that I carefully hand pollinated.

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